"We really feel like Joe has a lot of football left in him," Elway told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "(Former Broncos coach) Gary (Kubiak) was with him three or four years in Baltimore in his system and was very successful with that. So we thought that with the availability and what the compensation was (a 2019 fourth-round pick), that Joe was going to be a very good fit for us.

"He's played under the center, his arm strength is still great, he can still throw the ball downfield, a he's a guy who's won," Elway continued. "He's proven he can win in this league and has a tremendous amount of experience. So at 34 years old, we thought he was just going into his prime, so we're excited that Joe is here."

Though Flacco is experienced - he's started 163 games over the last 11 seasons - his level of play appears to have declined in recent years.

Year

Starts

Completion %

Passing Yards

TD

INT

QB Rating

Yards per Attempt

2016

16

64.9

4317

20

15

52.7

6.4

2017

16

64.1

3141

18

13

49.8

5.7

2018

9

61.2

2465

12

6

58.7

6.5

The former Super Bowl MVP was benched for rookie first-rounder Lamar Jackson last season after the Ravens went 4-5 through nine games.

Flacco has three years remaining on his current deal, and is fully expected to open the 2019 season as Denver's starting quarterback.